Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/76198
trees have some apples, Schwallier said. Schwallier and his MSU Extension col- league Amy Irish-Brown collected a lot of weather data in March and April that should be useful to growers in the Fruit Ridge and Belding area. Deborah Breth, an extension fruit edu- cator in western New York, doesn't think growers will learn much more from this year than they would have from reading their textbooks. Few growers have the kind of temperature records that it would take to gather site-by-site data. They'll see happening much of what the textbooks would have predicted: Some varieties are worse off than oth- ers depending on their bloom date and stage of development. Terminal tip bear- ers should fare better than spur types. Varieties like Gala that bear some fruit on year-old wood, and bloom later, will have partial crops. Quality of the fruit may provide some valuable lessons later. Will customers who want to buy their apples locally be willing to accept fruit that is russetted, or lopsided, or has frost rings? • Mike Wittenbach He noticed, too, that fruit survived bet- ter on north-facing slopes, where bloom was somewhat later. Lessons The freezes that struck across the upper Midwest, Michigan, Ontario, and New York in April came with cold, dry winds that make it difficult to protect against, but the events provided lessons for growers that may be useful in the future. Michigan State University Extension fruit educator Phil Schwallier, who works with fruit growers on Fruit Ridge and the Belding area of west central Michigan, said it was learning experience, if not a pleasant one. "First, we learned that wind machines do work, some better than others," he said. "They didn't cover the acreage we thought they would. Growers thought one machine would cover ten acres, but with this very cold, drying freeze, one machine protected only one, three, maybe four acres." Some growers used them repeatedly. "That seemed to save some flowers so we have some fruit," Schwallier said. But there was not much atmospheric heat to be found and very little high-level warm air to be pulled into the orchard. "We learned that healthier trees had more crop survive," Schwallier said. "Fruit on stressed or weak trees succumbed, but with good fertility and good management, fruit survived much better." Undertree irrigation provided some freeze protection, he said, and orchards that were protected from wind—those near woodlots or buildings—fared better. "We see fruit in the first two or three rows under those conditions," he said. He's not sure what provided the protec- tion, whether it was that flowers where wind was blocked were less freeze-dried by the wind, or whether these rows retained residual heat without the blowing wind. Better sites have slightly better crops, but air drainage doesn't appear to be a huge benefit with strong, cold winds. While south slopes are normally pre- ferred for their sunny exposure, apples on north slopes bloomed slightly later, and some of them have fruit. Varieties also made a difference. Gala, Golden Deli- cious, and Rome all bloom later, and these www.goodfruit.com Securities products and services such as investment banking and capital raising are offered by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., Member NYSE/FINRA/SPIC. Banking products are offered by KeyBank National Association. Banking products and services are offered by KeyBank N.A. Credit products are subject to credit approval. ©2012 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC. ADL4485.05 GOOD FRUIT GROWER AUGUST 2012 43 no matter how you slice it Agribusiness can be cyclical; our support is constant. KeyBank is one of the nation's leading Agribusiness lenders – and your first source for financial guidance or assistance. Every one of our bankers has the agricultural and financial savvy to identify the nuances of your business, whether you're a grower, processor, packager or distributor. We specialize in: your assets and capabilities Contact us today and help your business grow and thrive. go to key.com/agribusiness call Mike McKay at 800-346-8828